A Year-Long Weekend Hobby

Step By Step

Gregg McNair's '87 Jeep Cherokee.

A stock 4.0L inline-six fills the engine bay and uses the existing transmission and transfer case to provide the get-up-and-go for Nevadas resident rock crusher. The hood and interior are about the only parts of the vehicle left untouched.

A Con-Ferr roof rack carries the gear, and theres a fullsize spare mounted below it on the tailgate. A nitrogen tank is at the ready for air tools, and Flowmaster exhaust keeps the Cherokee breathing. Note the rear Dana 44 between the 33-inch meats. Try to imagine the custom-built rock sliders on either side that can get Gregg up and over without leaving half of his vehicle behind.

As the Boy Scouts motto clearly states: Be prepared! Hopefully, 200 pounds of recovery equipment and a Hi-Lift Jack will get Gregg and company out of any trouble they can conjure up. Dont leave home without it.

The interior layout was left intact with a few perks added for good measure, namely a Sony CD player and a Cobra Sound Tracker CB with a Wilson 1000 antenna. The four-speed automatic tranny is visible and up to the task of power allocation.

Mechanic Gregg McNair says his bionic 87 Jeep Cherokee is the result of a quest for a weekend activity. With its custom-made front suspension and numerous other McNair originals, the retailored Cherokee aptly illustrates the notion of do-it-yourself assembly. The Cherokee retains some stock parts, but any troglodyte will quickly realize that the brutish nature of McNairs McNasty wasnt created entirely by Chrysler.

The menu of McNair-made parts includes chrome-moly fully adjustable control arms and an adjustable track bar for the front suspension and front fiberglass fenders. The suspension was helped by the addition of 5-inch coil springs. For those considering a similar project, Gregg suggests looking for Cherokees with Dana 44 rears and to expect the process to take a substantial chunk of time. The year-long gestation period included broken motor and transmission mounts but also showcased Greggs welder-by-trade ability to fabricate his own parts.

As for the broken engine mount, Gregg made his own urethane version and, with the help of an adapter, used a Chevy urethane transmission mount. Front fiberglass fenders gave instant tire clearance for added dexterity over the rough stuff.